


Castiel

by andprosper



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-16
Updated: 2012-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-29 15:44:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andprosper/pseuds/andprosper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel get directions from heaven to make sure the apocalypse occurs, and the only way to do so is to steer the Winchesters in the right direction. However, because the two brothers don’t trust angels, Castiel will need to diguise himself as a human to gain their trust. Except he doesn’t know a thing about being human. (Mulan as told with Supernatural characters)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Castiel

**Author's Note:**

> This is is my mashup of Supernatural with Disney. Rated Teen for the brothel parts and the language.

“Castiel, these two idiots are going to get themselves killed if it continues on like this.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Go down there and make sure they don’t. If we want this to end, Michael and Lucifer need their vessels. They need to play their parts. You need to make sure they live long enough to do so.”

“Surely they won’t talk to angels.”

“You figure it out, Castiel. If you want this war to end, you must do what needs to be done.”

The humans would not listen to him if he went to them as an angel. Even if Castiel had pulled Dean from the depths of hell, the angels had proved problematic for the brothers since Dean’s return. Castiel understood why he was being told to do this. The other angels wouldn’t stoop to a mortal level. Castiel, however, was thought by the other angels to be different. And perhaps he was.

“Why haven’t you left, Castiel?”

There was a mortal he had watched – one who had been willing to lend his form. Castiel found him and requested use of his vessel. It was strange – being confined to such a restrictive body – but he’d done it a few times before. He glanced around the road – unsure of where to begin.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he mumbled aloud and a grinning figure appeared before him.

“Looking good, bro.”

“Gabriel,” Castiel replied simply. Certainly his presence could not be good.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Gabriel said with a smirk. “I’m actually here to help you.”

“Help me?” He was skeptical.

“I want those boys in their places, too,” Gabriel’s grin hadn’t wavered. “I’ve been acting human for a pretty long time. I think I could give you a few pointers.”

“I do not need your help,” Castiel started walking past him, but Gabriel grabbed his arm.

“Really?” Gabriel looked utterly unconvinced as Castiel turned back towards him. “Do you know even the slightest thing about acting human? Do you even know the slightest thing about these boys? If you try and talk to them now, they’ll know you’re not human and run a stake through your heart.”

Castiel was confused. “A stake wouldn’t kill me.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes in response and shook Castiel’s arm slightly. “But that’s not your goal, is it? You want them to trust you? Then you’ve got to listen to me! I know what gets to these boys, all right?”

“I don’t trust you,” Castiel said bluntly. Gabriel hadn’t been around. Gabriel wasn’t someone trustworthy – he was sly and only interested in his own agenda.

“You don’t have to do exactly what I say. I’m just offering advice. Like I said, I want this whole thing between Lucifer and Michael over with. Done. No more. And the only way to do that is to get these boys to play their parts.”

Castiel considered him for a moment. If the fight between their brothers was good for Gabriel, he could be expected to be helpful. Gabriel would have a better knowledge of humans and Sam and Dean. If anything seemed wrong or unsettling with Gabriel’s advice, he could always ignore it. “Fine. What should I know?” He conceded.

“You might want to get a pen,” Gabriel handed him one and Castiel looked around for paper, before deciding to settle for writing on his forearm. “The most important thing you need to know about Dean is his car and his tunes. He drives a ’67chevy impala with a V8 327 4 barrell engine with 275 horsepower,” Castiel started writing frantically on his arm, though he didn’t understand half of what Gabriel was saying. “His favorite band in Metallica, but mention any classic rock and you’re in.”

“Classic rock.” Castiel said blankly, but Gabriel continued.

“Sam does all the research, so I’m sure someone knowing a bit would be appreciated, though treat people with respect and he’ll be easy to get along with.”

With Gabriel disappeared, Castiel followed the road, glancing at his unfamiliar reflection in a darkened store front. He had to do this – not just to end the fighting between his brothers, but for his father. His father must have wanted him to resurrect Dean for a reason. He knew that was his father’s wish, but he didn’t understand why. Was he taking the right path? Why were things not clear? Why couldn’t he just hear from his father? Joshua had no answers for him and he didn’t know where else to turn but to the brothers. They were his only clue in this confusion and absence.

Castiel located Sam and Dean in a small town in Missouri. They were in a café, but Castiel, unsure of how to approach them, stood outside in his beige trenchcoat.

“Are you just going to stand there?” Gabriel was next to him now, a self-satisfied smirk pulling at his features.

“I must admit I am unaware of the protocol in such a situation.”

Gabriel seemed to be laughing inwardly. “So you don’t know what to say? Need some pick-up lines?”

“Pick up lines?” Castiel did not intend to pick anyone up. He supposed that would be unusual in this situation – he didn’t know much about human social tactics, but he did not often see people picking each other up. “Should I ask them if they are hunters?”

“No! Just point out things you have it common,” Gabriel offered in suggestion, but Castiel was still looking at him blankly.

“I imagine they have weapons. I have this,” he pulled at his trenchcoat to reveal a silver flash of dagger. “Perhaps this: I see you have a sword. I have one, too. They’re very – “ sharp? Lethal? No. What would humans call a sword? “-manly and…tough,” he faltered at the end of the sentence as Gabriel began to laugh. “I’m still working on it,” he admitted, knowing it must somehow sound foolish or amusing. Perhaps manly was the wrong adjective to use.

“You’d better be thankful I’m a miracle worker,” Gabriel patted him on the shoulder. “Just trust me on this,” he said as Dean and Sam appeared out of the café, and began walking down the road. “All right, chest high, shoulders back, feet apart, head up, and strut.”

Castiel blinked at Gabriel before he began walking without making the annoying modifications to his posture. Gabriel kept up with him, but no longer a physical being that could be perceived by the humans around him. He crossed the street farther down from the two brothers and stepped in front of them. They looked at the man who intercepted them with curiosity and annoyance. “Good. Now punch them,” Gabriel offered in suggestion, “It’s how men say hello.”

Castiel, understanding the human male need to express varying degrees of testosterone, punched Dean, who stumbled backwards hand over his nose. “What the fuck?!” He exclaimed, and shook his head, as if trying to concentrate.

“Looks like you made a friend,” Sam was pressing his lips together, trying not to smile.

His hand fell from his face, revealing he’d not begun bleeding, though he still seemed disoriented. “I’m going to beat this guy so hard, his grandparents will feel it,” Dean hissed and Sam grabbed him, halting his path towards Castiel.

“He’s not worth it, Dean. Just try and relax. Count to ten,” he suggested, but Dean yanked himself from Sam’s grip.

“I ain’t doin’ any of your damned hippie meditation shit,” however, he just glowered at Castiel instead of going through on his threat. “You’re right,” he said after looking Castiel over and turning away from him. “You ain’t worth my time, chicken boy.”

“Chicken boy?!” Suddenly Gabriel’s voice was loud and audible to the people around him. “Why don’t you say that to my face, you limp noodle!?”

Suddenly Dean lunged for Castiel, who quickly stepped out of the way. “Dean! We don’t need to be getting in fights with locals!” Sam snapped and Dean scowled at Castiel.

“You should probably apologize to him,” Gabriel commented and Castiel turned to him, with a confused look over his features.

“I do seem to be getting a negative social response. You misinformed me.”

“No, people usually like that,” Gabriel was pressing his lips together tightly. “Oops.”

Dean and Sam were looking at Castiel now, who realized it must have looked like he was talking to thin air.

“You are hunting here, are you not?”

“Castiel, you can’t admit to them you know what hunting is! They’ll know you’re not human!”

“Lots of humans know about demons,” Castiel replied to him, ignoring a gaping Dean.

“Excuse me?”

“You believe you’re hunting a ghost in this town, but I’ll save you the trouble. It’s a demon. Fairly low level. Should be easy to get rid of,” he said firmly, leaving the two looking at him with furrowed brows.

“You’re a hunter?”

“I suppose you can say I am. In a sense.”

“And why the hell did you punch me?”

Castiel looked to Gabriel for help. “I don’t know. Tell him it was manly urges or something.”

“Well, you know how it is when you get those manly urges.”

“Manly urges?” Dean was looking at him with skeptical disbelief.

“You know. Sometimes you just need to…punch something,” Gabriel seemed to notice Castiel floundering and offered him some suggestions.

“Fix things.”

“Fix things,” Castiel repeated.

“Cook outdoors.”

“Cook outdoors.”

“You’re kidding me with this, right?” Dean was looking between Sam and Castiel now.

“I was trying to get your attention,” Castiel admitted honestly, earning an astonished look from Dean.

“There are much easier ways to do that, you know.”

“I don’t know,” Sam was smiling just a bit, “I thought it was a good attempt.”

“Shut it, Sam,” Dean snapped and approached the driver’s side of his car. What kind of car was it again? “Look, if you know about this demon, how about telling us where it is?”

“I can show you,” Castiel offered instead. He would be able to sense the demon when it was near and who it was possessing at the moment. However, while he could sense from a distance, it was much more difficult to pinpoint.

Sam seemed okay with the idea, but Dean shook his head. “No way are you coming with us.”

Seeing Dean’s reluctance, Castiel remembered Gabriel’s advice on getting close to Dean and attempted to impress him as smoothly as he could. “I suppose this is a ’67 Chevy Impala,” he glanced down at his wrist briefly.

When Dean looked between him and the car, Castiel took another quick look at the rest of the writing on his arm. “It looks like it has a V8 327 4 barrel engine with 275 horsepower,” he recited, though he wasn’t sure if you could tell what engine a car has by looking at it.

“You know about cars?” Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking impressed, despite Castiel’s awkward delivery.

“Oh and,” Castiel glanced down at his arm once more, “Metallica rules.”

Dean narrowed his eyes and glanced at Sam. “All right. Punch forgiven. Get in the car.”

“So, what’s your name?” Sam asked and Castiel was about to respond when Gabriel, who was next to him in the back seat, hushed him.

“You can’t tell him your real name! It’s an angel’s name! You don’t think they’ll be able to figure that one out?”

“I have a name,” he assured Sam, though he was stalling, “and it’s a human’s name, too,” since the concern seemed to be about his angelic-sounding name.

“How about Dean?”

“His name’s Dean,” Castiel responded to Gabriel, causing Sam to furrow his brow.

“I know.”

“How about Ah-choo?” Gabriel offered.

“Ah-choo.”

“Ah-choo?” Sam was looking confused, but amused at the same time. Not a good name, then.

“Gesundheit,” Gabriel teased, though Castiel didn’t understand the joke.

“Gabriel,” Castiel said warningly, forgetting about the two in the front seat.

“Gabriel?”

“No,” Castiel replied, knowing the name sounded angelic as well.

“Then what is it?!” Sam seemed exasperated and Castiel groped around in his mind for a human name.

“What about Cas?”

“Cas.”

“Cas?”

“Of course it does sound like a girl’s name,” Gabriel muttered, but Sam seemed to accept it as plausible, so Castiel ignored the other angel in the back seat.

“Yes. My name is Cas.”

“So, Cas, how do you know about this demon? Why haven’t you exorcised it if you’re a hunter?” Dean asked from the driver’s seat.

“An acquaintance of yours told me you and Sam were in town in it is significantly easier to exorcise a demon with…others,” he was stringing together excuses as he went.

“What acquaintance?” Sam asked.

“Ellen,” Castiel searched Sam’s thoughts for one of the names that came forward in his mind.

“You know Ellen? She’s never mentioned a Cas.”

“Well,” Castiel groped around for an excuse, “she doesn’t talk about me much.”

“I can see why. The guy’s a complete lunatic,” Dean muttered to himself.

“All right, Cas, I’m out of here,” Gabriel stretched and smiled at him. “Now, remember to play nice with the other kids,” he glanced to the two in the front seat. “Unless of course, the other kids want to fight, then you’ve got to kick the other kids’ butts.”

Castiel furrowed his brow slightly. “What if I don’t want to kick the-“ but Gabriel had already disappeared and Sam was once again looking at him curiously from the front seat.

“Admittedly, am not well practiced in the exorcising of demons,” he added, not sure if he had been asked a question, but hoping it was an appropriate response.

“So you’re pretty much useless,” Dean summed up, but Castiel didn’t know how to respond. “All right. Let’s get down to business.”

It turned out Dean was right. Without revealing he was an angel, when it came to exorcising a demon, Castiel was useless. He stood around and watched Dean and Sam exorcise the rather angry, but weak demon. However, Castiel could locate them, which is how he was able to continue staying with the brothers. Before they got wind of any other demons or ghosts in the area, Castiel would sense them and, following Gabriel’s advice, pretended to have a source that gave him jobs to do over the phone. At first, the brothers had been hesitant to listen to him, but eventually gave in when he was correct in every case.

Castiel stood aside every time to let Sam and Dean do the dirty work while Castiel located the demons. Sam had made an assumption about him having a psychic ability to sense demons and ghosts around after a few times Castiel led them directly to the demon, and Castiel had gone along with it. It made him valuable to the brothers if he could sense the supernatural and gave them a reason to keep him around. However, Dean constantly complained about being a dead weight – only Sam’s insistence on his excellent locating skills kept Dean from leaving him behind.

There was a change, though, when Castiel was able to prove himself. They had encountered a low-level seraph, but Dean and Sam only knew how to trap or banish angels, not kill them. One of Castiel’s few pieces of knowledge that was true both amongst humans and amongst angels was the dagger that killed them. When the angel threatened Dean, Castiel stabbed the angel with his dagger from behind, causing the angel to disappear. It was disturbing when he reflected on it, really. His only hesitation in killing a fellow angel had been whether or not it would reveal him to Sam and Dean.

“What was that?”

“He will not be bothering us again,” Castiel said calmly and tucked his knife away.

“Did you just – “

Dean seemed unable to finish his sentence, so Castiel made an assumption about his direction and replied in the affirmative. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you had that?” He pointed to Castiel’s trenchcoat, where he’d just hidden the dagger.

“We had not encountered an angel, so I didn’t think it pertinent information.”

“Not pertinent information?” Dean stared at him for a long moment and then admitted, “maybe you’re a secret badass, after all.”

 

“Gabriel, your advice seems to be working,” Castiel admitted one evening in his single hotel room. Though he did not sleep, he had his own hotel room, normally next to Sam and Dean’s to keep up the pretense.

“What’d I tell you? You’ve just got to trust me, bro. Just keep this up and the final seal will be broken in no time.”

Castiel ignored Gabriel’s grin and noticed muffled yelling coming from the next room.

“What’s that?” Gabriel asked and disappeared. Castiel, still confined to his vessel, pressed his ear against the wall.

“We can’t keep letting him tag along, Dean!”

“You were the one who wanted him to come with in the first place! What is it you said? He’s some kind of…’demon gps?’ But now you’re changing your mind?”

“It’s not that simple. I mean, he’s carrying around some knife that can kill angels. Where the hell did he get that? Bobby’s never even heard of such a thing! We don’t even know anything about him, Dean!”

“What? So you trust him completely when he’s a stranger, but now that he’s earned our trust, you think he’s some kind of demon or something?”

“I didn’t say that. I just think it’s weird, isn’t it? He can locate all these demons, but he doesn’t fight them? And sometimes he just starts talking to himself! You can’t tell me that’s not really creepy!”

“You know what, Sam? I don’t know what’s gotten into you. I don’t know what kind of crazy mood swings you’re having, but I’m sick of it!” He snapped angrily and Castiel heard a door slam. A few seconds later, there was a pounding on his door. “Cas! Let me in!”

Castiel opened the door and Dean stormed in past him. “Is something wrong?” Castiel prompted after a minute of Dean pacing the short length of the room angrily.

“Nothing. Just Sam being a dick,” Dean’s expression grew confused when he glanced at the tv. “Not watching tv? What do you do when you’re in here?”

“Mostly just stand around,” Castiel replied, causing Dean to raise an eyebrow.

“You just stand here in the hotel room until you go to sleep?”

“No,” Castiel said simply. He didn’t sleep, so the statement wasn’t true, however, he chose not to clarify. Dean let it pass, however, and began pacing once more.

“Something’s up with Sam. I don’t know what it is, but he’s accusing you of things. He’s accusing me of things,” he ran his hand through his hair and let out a long breath. “He’s angry all the time. He even had the gall to call me a bad hunter after what happened yesterday! He’s the one who can exorcise demons with his mind! I can’t fight demons without any weapons!”

Castiel blinked, absorbing the rant Dean was throwing at him. He weighed his options of responses – he could comfort Dean, but that would likely be rejected. He could always tell Dean about that demon Sam was seeing, but that would diverge his plan. Sam needed the demon blood to be strong enough for Lucifer to take him as his vessel. So, it was back to option one, then. “For what it’s worth,” he said slowly, “I think you’re a great hunter.”

Dean furrowed his brow while looking at Castiel and then strode to the door. “I’m going for a drive,” he muttered before slamming the door.

“Oh, I see what’s going on here,” Castiel turned to see Gabriel sitting on the bed. “You like him, don’t you?”

It was true, Castiel liked Dean. He might actually consider the man a friend, but the tone in Gabriel’s voice suggested a different meaning. But he wasn’t sure what. “What are you implying?”

“I’m saying you think Dean is sexy,” Gabriel made an obscene grinding motion with his hips, but Castiel remained unaffected, although he may have been slightly uncomfortable.

“I did notice Dean is attractive by human standards, but I don’t see your point.”

“You’re no fun to tease, Castiel, do you know that?” Gabriel was now frowning. “Well, they’re getting closer and closer to the final seal, just keep them on track.”

“Gabriel,” Castiel began when struck with a thought, “should I tell Dean about Sam?”

“Are you crazy?” Gabriel exclaimed. “If he finds out, he’ll put a stop to it! We need Sam to keep chugging that demon blood so that when Lucifer is released, he can be his vessel.”

“But Dean doesn’t understand Sam’s change in attitude. If he were to simply know-“

Gabriel laughed loudly, interrupting Castiel, “Who cares? I think you’re going soft, Castiel. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t understand it. They just need to play their parts so we can get this apocalypse over with. Oh, and Castiel, don’t mess this up,” Gabriel said seriously before disappearing from the room.

 

“Cas, come on!” There was a loud pounding at the door, so he opened it to look at Dean curiously. “We’ve got a lead on Lilith. We’ve got to go now.”

“I’m ready,” Castiel said simply, causing Dean to look a little offput.

“Oh, well…let’s go, then,” they both left the hotel and joined Sam in the Impala. “Don’t you ever change clothes?” Dean asked as they got into the car, much to Castiel’s confusion.

“Why would I need to?”

“Because it’s gross, man,” Dean wrinkled his nose and began driving. Sam was sitting silently in the passenger seat, a dark look crossing his features.

When they arrived, after several hours in the car, they found Lilith’s hiding place surrounded by demons. Dean cursed loudly and smacked the steering wheel. “Well, this is a steaming pile of ass.”

“But it’s not entirely unexpected,” Sam said seriously, breaking his seven hours of silence.

“We need more people,” Dean muttered. “I’m going to call Bobby.”

“We don’t have a lot of time to wait for back up,” Castiel urged, but Dean just glared at him.

“If we want to kill this bitch, we need to get past them and since you’re only good at killing angels, we need some more people to gut these suckers.” Dean put the car into reverse and drove to a nearby motel for the evening.

Dean entered Castiel’s hotel room alone that evening. However, Castiel noticed that Sam had been absent for the past two hours. He wondered if he was with his demon friend. “Where’s-“

“-Sam?” Dean snorted. “Ran off to god knows where. I don’t know. He’s been acting weird as hell lately. I’m just glad he’s gone tonight. I don’t need him being a dick on top of everything else right now.” Castiel suspected Dean might be worried about Sam inwardly, or, at least, he hoped Dean was or something was very, very wrong.

“Look, Cas, you’re not going.”

“I’m not going?”

“You can’t fight demons and that place is crawling with them. The only thing you’ll be able to do there is die. And, frankly, I don’t want to have to watch your ass and mine.”

Castiel understood his reasoning, but Castiel could not let him and Sam out of his sight – not around all those demons. Demons wouldn’t care if they blew apart Michael’s vessel. “I’ll be fine. You won’t have to worry about me.”

“Cas-“

“You won’t change my mind, Dean,” Cas stated simply. “I’m in this with you.”

Dean stared at Cas for a long silent moment before dropping the argument. “So, last night on Earth. What are your plans?” Cas tilted his head minutely at these words. They seemed oddly familiar, as if he should be on guard for Dean saying them.

“I just figured I’d sit here quietly,” Castiel responded, leaving Dean looking around the room, as if he was expecting a joke or someone to explain the man in front of him.

“Dude, come on, anything? Booze? Women?” Dean suggested, causing Castiel to look up at him from his seated position uncomfortably. He did not feel an urge to partake in such things and, to be honest, Dean offering up the deadliest of sins to him did not appeal to him in any way. Nor did he appreciate the gesture – even the thought of partaking in the sins of the flesh made his skin crawl. There was an awkward silence that followed, and Castiel looked down at his hands so that he didn’t have to look at Dean. “You have been with a woman before.” It was more of a question than a statement – the one he’d been hoping to avoid. He knew what Dean thought of bodily sins and knew what direction Dean would take if such information were divulged. “Right?”

Castiel rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, still avoiding Dean’s gaze. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to be having this conversation, either. However, this did not seem to stop Dean from prying further. “You mean to tell me that you’ve never been with a woman? How old are you? And you’ve never even-“

“Look, I’ve never had occasion, okay?” Castiel tried to brush off Dean. Dean stepped away, but the determined look on his face betrayed any indication of stopping.

“All right,” Dean was standing across from him now. “There are two things that I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay,” he stated firmly while pulling on his jacket. Castiel was uncertain of who these people were, but the statement had him wondering in what direction this conversation was going. “Two, you are not going to die a virgin. Not on my watch. Let’s go.”

Curious to see how Dean planned on remedying the situation, Cas followed. He may have had an idea about how the situation was to be remedied. Although it didn’t involve women. The last several statements from Dean only added up to one conclusion Castiel could conceive of. Cas was nervous, yes, but he wasn’t as uncomfortable with the idea as he expected to be. Dean was his friend.

When Dean took Cas to a strange looking club, Castiel got a strange sense of foreboding. He must have miscalculated and now, instead of having butterflies in his stomach, his mouth went dry and he felt a bit sick. When they stepped inside, he understood why. It seemed that Dean had taken him to a brothel. “Dean-“

“See, Cas?” He said as they sat at a table. “You’ve got a pick of any of these fine ladies here.”

Cas looked around the room, at the prostitutes, before looking back at Dean in desperation. He had to get out of there. He couldn’t be in this house of sin. He could feel a panic rising up in his chest. How did he get out of this? He was supposed to keep an eye on Dean, and Dean was his friend, but this place and the situation was causing his breathing to catch in his throat and his very skin to burn.

“Look, relax,” Dean was saying, noticing Cas’s panicked expression and his labored breathing.

“This is a den of iniquity.”

“Dude, you’re a human. Iniquity is one of the perks.”

“Yeah, Castiel,” Gabriel appeared at the table behind him. “Why not have a go?”

“You know I don’t want to,” Castiel muttered to Gabriel, having learned he should try and keep his conversations with the other angel more private, but Dean caught it.

“Come on, Cas. You know, if you had to pick, who would you want to spend your last night on earth with?”

Castiel blinked as he considered it. He understood Dean wanted him to pick one of the women, but that wasn’t what he would choose if he expected to die the next day. “I would spend it with you.”

“Dude, don’t get gay on me, okay?”

Castiel furrowed his brow. What was wrong with selecting Dean over these women? He shared a much stronger bond with him over a woman he didn’t even know. “But you’re my friend.”

“But you’re not going to have sex with me,” Dean responded bluntly.

“Pick one already. You’re giving me a headache.”

Prevented from asking “why not” by Gabriel’s interjection, Castiel moved on a different question. “How do I pick one?” Dean wouldn’t let up on the topic until Castiel gave it a try, at the very least.

“Well…” Dean seemed to stall for a moment to think. “One that you like. You know, a girl worth fighting for.” At Castiel’s confused expression, Dean clarified, “one that you’d actually want to see again after the battle tomorrow. One you wouldn’t regret sleeping with.”

Still confused through the clarification, Castiel listened to the thoughts of the men around him. Perhaps they would offer some clarity so he could provide Dean with an adequate answer. The first thoughts he delved into were rather disturbing, but he finally found a thought process that was not along the lines of sinful lust. “I want her paler than the moon, with eyes that shine like stars,” the man in the booth behind him thought, watching a pretty redhead walk by.

“You know,” Dean was saying, seeing Castiel’s even more baffled expression, “I’d want a girl who marveled at my strength. Adored my battle scars.”

A heavyset man sitting behind Dean was thinking, “I couldn’t care less what she’ll wear or what she’d look like. It all depends on what she cooks like. Beef. Pork. Chicken. Mmm.”

“What’s the problem, Cas? I bet the girls back where you’re from thought you were quite the charmer, right?” Dean grinned to himself, almost as if he’d made a joke. Perhaps he had. “My girl will think I have no faults. That I’m a major find,” he continued and then looked at Castiel expectantly.

“Uhh…” Castiel paused, trying to think of what would attract him to a person. It was hard to tell what anyone would find attractive, since everyone seemed to have different ideas about it. So all he had to go on was Dean’s tastes…which from what he could tell was female and breathing…and his own. “How about a girl who’s got a brain,” it was more of a question than a statement. It was true. He’d want someone who was intelligent. Someone he could talk to. If he desired a partner, that is. “Who always speaks her mind?” Also very true. Dishonesty and secrets never did anyone good. Sam had that problem. But Dean was always open with him, something he’d appreciated in the man.

“No!” Dean’s face fell as Castiel spoke and rolled his eyes. “You know, my manly ways and turn of phrase are sure to thrill her,” he suggested and Castiel heard Gabriel snort in laughter behind him.

“He thinks he’s such a lady killer.”

“Hey, Cas, how about her? She looks like a girl worth fighting for.” He commented and stopped the girl.  
“What’s your name?” She asked Castiel flirtatiously. Cas took in her sinfully exposed body and he was pretty sure his breathing had actually stopped. One of them was addressing him – he wasn’t sure of how to respond. He was silent for a long moment, floundering for words that were not offerings to turn her away from her sinful life.

“Cas,” Dean said suddenly, causing Castiel to jump, his breathing forced back into action. “His name’s Cas. What’s your name?”

“Chastity.”

Castiel grabbed the alcoholic beverage in front of him and started gulping it down. It was supposed to calm the nerves, right? Impair his judgment? If there was any time he needed his judgment impaired, it was now.

“Chastity?” Dean repeated and then grinned at Cas. “Is this kismet or what, buddy?” Castiel didn’t respond and continued downing his drink, so Dean continued talking for him. “Well, he likes you. And you like him. So, dayenu!”

The woman reached down and took Castiel’s hand from his lab. He took one terrified look at the woman again before glancing back at Dean desperately, hoping Dean would pull him out of this, but he looked utterly satisfied with himself. As he was led away, Dean’s hand stopped him and the other man stood up from his seat in the booth. Castiel almost thought he’d found salvation, until Dean started whispering.  
“Oh, hey, listen. Take this,” he handed Cas a wad of bills. Castiel desperately looked around for help or an exit. He couldn’t do this. There was no way. “If she asks for a credit card, no,” Castiel was looking back at Dean now, partially hoping Dean would notice the expression on Castiel’s face and take him out of there, and partially trying to steel himself for the experience. “Just stick to the basics, okay? Do not order off the menu.” The menu? What was the menu? “Go get her, tiger,” Cas gave Dean one last desperate look, but Dean only frowned. “Don’t make me push you.”

He lost sight of Dean as the woman led him into the back. He was taken into a room with a singular bed and Castiel nervously ran through ideas of what to do. He could run away, but Dean wouldn’t be happy with that? Dean. Why had he been much more comfortable with the thought of indulging in sins of the flesh when he assumed it would be with Dean? Well, Dean was his friend. He knew Dean. Maybe he could get to know this girl – make friends with her before anything was initiated. However, the girl in white lingerie seemed to have different ideas. She was pushing Castiel’s trenchcoat off and yanking at his tie.

Make friends with her.

He searched her mind for something to connect with her on. Her father. She seemed to have a lot of thoughts about her absent father. He pulled her off as she started unbuttoning his shirt and looked her directly in the eyes. “It’s not your fault that your father Jean ran off.”

“What?” She stepped back now. “How do you know about that?” She backed out into the hallway and Castiel followed her.

“It is not important. What is important is that you know he loved you.” This was not going as Castiel had intended.

Get out of my face!” She screamed. “Leave me alone! Bastard!”

It was at this point, Dean appeared in the back hallway, looking baffled.

“Screw you, jerk!” She stormed away and then continued to shout at Dean. “Screw you, too!” She continued screaming obscenities as she stormed away and Castiel couldn’t help but feeling slightly relieved, even though he was rather baffled.

“What did you do?”

“I don’t know. I just looked at her in the eye and told her it wasn’t her fault her father ran off.”

“Oh no, man,” Dean seemed like he was actually amused.

“What?”

“This whole industry runs on absent fathers. It’s the natural order. How do you not know this stuff? You’re like a baby in a trenchcoat,” Dean was exasperated and out of the corner of his eye, he saw bodyguards step into the hallway. “We should go. Come on,” he grabbed Castiel’s arm and led him back through the hall, away from the approaching men and out the back door. By this time, Dean had started laughing to himself hysterically.

“What’s so funny?” Castiel was confused. No joke had been made.

“Nothing,” Dean answered after a few more seconds of laughter and a few labored breaths. “It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed that hard.”

Castiel smiled in spite of himself, though he didn’t understand the hilarity of the situation. He was both amused by Dean’s laughter and relieved that he had gotten out of that situation.

“A really long time,” Dean was saying to himself, the grin disappearing from his expression. “Years.”

“Dean,” Castiel stops walking, glancing over at the other, noting the sad expression on his face. He knew he shouldn’t say anything, but he had to. “There’s something about Sam that you should know.”

Dean furrowed his brow and stared at Cas curiously. “What’s that?”

“You know that I can…sense demons, correct?”

Dean rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yes, Cas. I haven’t been in a coma for the past few months.”

“Your brother has been meeting with a demon.”

“Excuse me?”

“Her name is Ruby,” Castiel continued, not giving himself a chance to reconsider his decision to tell Dean. “He’s been drinking her blood.”

“Ruby? He’s been doing what?”

Dean still seemed disbelieving, so Castiel clarified. “I can sense her. Often when he is not around you, he is with her. And…after his meetings with her, I am able to sense Sam as a demon, too.”

“Sam comes up as a demon on your demon radar?”

“Many times, yes. I believe you’ve noticed his erratic behavior and his inability to exorcise the last minor demon. He is able to exorcise demons by consuming demon blood. At that point, he had not had any from Ruby in a while,” Castiel explained, leaving Dean to stare at him. After a long silent moment, Dean opened the car door.

“Get in the car, Cas.”

Castiel complied and Dean stepped on the gas, speeding down the road to their sleazy motel. Dean was silent the entire drive – which Castiel was completely okay with, seeing the expression crossing Dean’s features.

When they arrived at the hotel, Dean fumbled with the key in his pocket – he seemed so enraged he couldn’t quite get the key into the lock. After a moment, he shoved the door open to reveal Sam sitting comfortably in front of his computer. “Hey, Dean….Cas,” he nodded to the man behind Dean after a moment.

“Sam,” Dean said in his low voice, “Cas here has told me some very interesting things.”

“What do you mean?” Sam still seemed to be unaware that he’d been caught.

“He said you’ve been seeing a demon behind my back. You’ve been seeing Ruby behind my back.”

“What?”

“And he said that you’ve been drinking demon blood, Sam.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Sammy. Cas can sense demons. He says sometimes he can sense you. Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you’re not getting high off demon blood.” When Sam didn’t answer, Dean grumbled, “oh my god, Sam. You’re addicted to bitch blood?”

“It’s not what you think, okay?” Sam was standing now, approaching Dean as if to comfort him. “I need Ruby to beat Lillith. Dean, she’s on our side!”

“She’s a demon.”

“Dean, she was the one who told me where Lillith was. She’s helping us. I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean.”

“No, you're not the one who's gonna do this.”

“Right, that's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you,” Sam was now starting to get angry as well, quitting his attempts to explain himself.

“You don't think I can?”

“No. You can't. You're not strong enough.”

Dean’s eyebrows raised this time. “And who the hell are you?

“I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done.”

“Yeah? You're not gonna do a single damn thing,” Dean snapped, walking closer to his brother, as if to challenge him.

“Stop bossing me around, Dean. Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me,” Sam was attempting to make his case again, but Dean wasn’t keen on being swayed.

“No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam.”

“Yes, I do.”

There was a long pause. “Then that's worse.”

“Why? Look, I'm telling you—“

“Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are! It means—“ Dean stopped himself, staring at Sam, and leaving Castiel forgotten by the door.

“What? No. Say it.” Sam had tears in his eyes.

“It means you're a monster.”

Sam nodded before punching Dean so hard he hit the floor. Dean got back to his feet and Castiel considered intervening when he punched Sam back. The two began fighting violently, leaving destruction in their wake. Dean fell to the floor and Sam pinned him down, choking him.

“You don't know me. You never did. And you never will,” he released his grip and began walking to the door.

“You walk out that door, don't you ever come back,” Dean snapped and Sam hesitated a moment before slamming the door behind him.

Castiel approached Dean, but he was shaken off. “No offense, Cas, but I’d really like to be alone right now,” he said gruffly, but Castiel didn’t leave.

“Don’t you think this time could be better spent killing Ruby?”

“What?”

Castiel knew he shouldn’t be doing this – but he shouldn’t have been in a brothel or told Dean about Ruby, either. Ruby was leading Sam to his intended destiny. The angels wanted the seal broken…and Sam would do that. But seeing the brothers and this state seemed more important than any of that.

“Surely Sam has gone to her now that you’ve kicked him out. If we eliminate Ruby, we eliminate most of the problem.”

“Cas, you don’t get it. I just told Sam the exact thing my father told him when he left.”

“You were in a highly emotional state and can be forgiven for your words. But I believe the best remedy to Sam’s situation is the death of his ‘supplier,’” he made quotation marks with his fingers, hoping he had used the human nuance correctly.

Dean didn’t point it out and nodded. “Fine. Killing this demon bitch will make me feel better, at least,” he mumbled to himself and grabbed his jacket.

They found Sam fairly quickly – and Castiel’s assumption had been correct – he was visiting Ruby. Dean was even more enraged by this and stormed out of his car, knife in hand. Castiel followed him, careful to keep an eye on Dean.

“Ruby!” He shouted and the pair turned towards him. “Keep out of this, Sammy!” Dean warned as his brother approached.

“Dean, what are you doing?”

“I’m killing this crazy demon bitch.”

“I don’t think so,” Ruby smiled and moved quickly, kicking Dean so that he was flat on his back. She leaned over him, her shoe kicking away the knife. “Dean, Dean, Dean…you shouldn’t be calling Sam out on the company he keeps. What are you doing walking around with an angel?” She looked up at Cas, who froze in his spot.

“What are you talking about?” Dean choked when she moved to press her foot against his throat.

“No wonder you don’t like me. You’re all buddy-buddy with those good ol’ boys in heaven.”

Dean seemed to notice Ruby was talking about Castiel. “Cas isn’t an angel.”

“I know an angel when I see one, Dean,” she reprimanded. “Kind of sad-looking in that little vessel, though.”

Castiel had had enough. Dean was turning purple under the weight, though he was still reaching for the knife, and his identity had already been revealed. He disappeared and reappeared behind Ruby. Before the shock could even register on her face, his hand closed over her features and she disappeared into a bright golden light.

“She will no longer be a nuisance to you,” Castiel said to Dean, who was now sitting up, staring at Castiel with bewilderment and betrayal.

“You’re an angel?”

“I’m Castiel, an angel of the lord. Sam, Dean, I have to tell you something-“

“I think you’ve said enough, Castiel,” Zachariah appeared behind Dean, a forced smirk plastered onto his face. “Come along, Dean,” Zachariah reached forward before Dean could react and the two disappeared.  
Castiel followed immediately, leaving a confused-looking Sam behind. Castiel appeared in Heaven’s waiting room, where burgers and beer were waiting for Dean. “Glad you could join us, Castiel.”

“Well, how 'bout this?” Dean looked at the two angels accusingly. “The suite life of Zach and Cas,” he looked between their blank looks expectantly. “It's a... never mind. So, what is this? Where the hell am I?

“Call it a Green room. We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before showtime,” he indicated the delicately arranged food on the table. “Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were 11, I think.”

Dean glanced at the burgers, as if he was tempted, but then saw Castiel, who was trying to avoid Dean’s attention and his expression hardened. “I'm not hungry.”

“No?” Zachariah frowned slightly, but then started again. “How about Ginger from season 2 of "Gilligan's Island"? You do have a thing for her, don't you? We'll throw in Mary Ann for free.”

“No, no. Let's... bail on the holodeck, okay? I want to know what your plan is.”

“Let us worry about that. We want you... focused, relaxed,” Zachariah smirked and then turned to Cas as he began walking away. He put a hand on Castiel’s shoulder – one that may be considered comforting and friendly to the outside observer, but Castiel knew it too well to be otherwise. “If things weren’t still on course, Castiel, we would have a problem. You’re already treading on thin ice – I wouldn’t test me.”

“An angel?” Dean asked as Zachariah disappeared from the room, leaving Dean alone with Cas, who was becoming uncomfortable with the look of betrayal etched across Dean’s face.

“I was charged with your protection-“

“I don’t want to hear it, Cas - or whatever. Why are you still here?”

“We've been through much together, you and I. And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this.”

"Sorry? It’s Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than sorry.”

“Dean, I’m trying to tell you something. It’s about the final seal,” Castiel stepped close to Dean, staring at him intently. “Lilith is the final seal. If Sam kills her, he unleashes Lucifer.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed, “and why should I believe you? Leave me alone, Castiel.”

“You trusted Cas. How is Castiel any different?” He asked, but Dean walked away from him, his jaw set. Castiel stared at the ground, for a moment, considering his options. Finally settling on only one option, Castiel grabbed Dean by the shoulder and shoved him against the wall. He put his hand over Dean’s mouth. He took the knife from his coat and looked into Dean’s eyes – understanding what he was doing would cause him to be hunted – to run from Heaven. And perhaps this way wouldn’t win Dean back as a friend, but at least he could do the right thing. He removed his hand from Dean’s lips and swiped the knife across his forearm. He started drawing sigils on the wall as Zachariah appeared within the confines of the room.

“Castiel! Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?”

Castiel finished the sigil and pressed his hand in the center, causing white light to envelop the other angel in the room. When he disappeared, Castiel turned to Dean. “He won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now. We have to stop him from killing Lilith.”

Castiel grabbed Dean and took him to St. Mary’s Convent.

“Get away from me, Cas.”

“Dean, I know you don’t trust me, but know this – I would not lie to you.”

“Because you haven’t been lying to me since we’ve met?”

“That was – “

“Don’t say that was different, Cas. Don’t you dare say that.”

“I’m still your friend, Dean.”

“Cas, let me handle me brother on my own. You don’t belong with us.”

Castiel conceded, allowing Dean to leave without following him. If he wanted Dean to trust him – he should honor Dean with his own trust. He had to have faith that Dean would take care of the situation.

“What are you doing, Castiel?”

Gabriel was with him now, looking at Castiel with a wild expression.

“Dean must make this choice for himself.”

“And where did you go with the original plan?”

“I’ve made necessary changes,” Castiel said quietly, head turning in the direction of the convent.

“You can’t just stop everything we’ve worked so hard to get just because you’re in love with that idiot Winchester – “ Gabriel paused suddenly, staring at the convent. “He’s failed. The seal has been broken.”

“What?” Castiel asked sharply and then he felt it, too, - something seeping through the breezy night air. The stars above them seemed to disappear into the black of space and a feeling of dread spread across the fields around the convent.

“What are you going to do now? It looks like you’re out of ideas,” Gabriel was looking at Castiel’s wide eyes, almost seeming to pity him, even though everything had gone according to plan after all.

“Not quite,” Castiel said quietly, just as a blinding light shot into the sky. He grasped both Dean and Sam from the gaping maw in the devil’s prison and took them to the first, and safest place he could think of – unfortunately, his aim must have been a bit off in his panic, because they came crashing through the roof of Bobby’s house.

“What the hell?”

Castiel could hear a man’s voice in the room – he’d never met Bobby in person, but the brothers seemed to indicate he was a father figure to them.

“Dean, I’m so sorry,” Sam was saying as he sat up, coughing from the impact and the dust obscuring the room around them.

“Where are we, Cas? Did you throw us into another goddamn waiting room?” Dean was ignoring his brother’s apologies as he saw Castiel, also getting up from the floor, amongst the smoke. “I swear to god, you soulless angel scum, if you took us to some freakin’ – “

“That – is - enough!” The dust cleared around who Castiel presumed to be Bobby, as he snapped angrily at Dean. “Are you boys hurt?”

“We’re fine, Bobby,” Sam reassured him as he got to his feet. “Cas here just saved us.”  
Bobby’s brow furrowed as he looked at Castiel, “Cas? You mean the angel?” He looked at Sam for affirmation. When had Sam told Bobby about him? Castiel’s face was drawn into a confused expression and Bobby addressed him this time. “I’ve heard a great deal about you, Castiel. You took a vessel. Left heaven. Impersonated a human. You lied to Sam and Dean, destroyed my house, failed to stop the apocalypse, and,” his voice rose loudly, before dropping once more into a calm tone, “you saved my boys.”

Castiel responded with an utterly perplexed expression as Bobby flashed him a rare, genuine smile, leaving both Sam and Dean to stare at Castiel and then at each other with shocked expressions. “Thank you, Bobby,” Castiel replied in the way that seemed to make the most sense.

“Dean, Sam, I’m sorry for the pain I have caused you. I never meant to betray or dishonor you.”

“Dishonor?” Sam seemed confused at his choice of words, but then he smiled and hugged Cas, whose arms remained stiffly at his side before he reached up and patted Sam awkwardly on the back. “The greatest gift in honor is having you for a friend.” Sam released him and Castiel avoided looking at Dean.

“I must leave now – to see what Lucifer’s release has wrought upon the world.”

“Wait,” Dean said, taking two steps towards him, until he was right in front of Cas, looking at a loss for words now that he had Castiel’s attention. He let out a long breath – perhaps he was going to let Castiel know he had regained his trust, or yell at him for not stopping the apocalypse, or ask Castiel to remain his friend. “Umm…you – you fight good,” at last managing to find words – only these ones baffled and disappointed Castiel.

“Thank you,” he replied again before striding to the front door. No words were passed between anyone until after Cas shut the door.

“There’s a Chinese proverb that says ‘a flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.’”

“Bobby, what kind of fruity nonsense is that?”

“You don’t meet a guy like that every century. Now go get him. Idjit.”

“But I’m not-“

“If you whine about not being gay, I will shoot you in the leg. Go.”

 

Gabriel was frowning at Castiel, as he came out of the house. “Great. All you’re bringing with you is that dirty trenchcoat and your sword. If you ask me, you should have brought a m-“

“Cas!” Gabriel was interrupted mid-sentence when Dean appeared outside of the door. “Um,” he cleared his throat and looked at Castiel uncomfortably. “I imagine you’ll need help. Besides, we weren’t exactly innocent in bringing on the apocalypse. So…we should help you…What I’m trying to say is-“

“Kiss him,” Gabriel advised Castiel.

“What?”

“That’s what he came for.”

“It’s not going to be easy-“ Dean was saying and Castiel considered Gabriel’s advice, before deciding most of the previous advice he’d been given had been sound. He closed the space between them and pressed his lips against Dean’s. Their noses bumped together oddly, because apparently Castiel was supposed to be aiming, and Castiel didn’t know what to do with his arms, so he just let them hang awkwardly at his sides, but Dean was wide-eyed and speechless when Castiel pulled away three seconds later. “Whoa.”

“Would you come with me?”

“I bet he would,” Gabriel grinned at the joke only he would get. Oh yes, this was his best work yet.


End file.
